Sorry what was that?
by TTgo-Starfire
Summary: The day he finds out about his true parentage and what affect it has on his psyche. A hierarchy of Jay's needs (Maslow, 1943). Sometimes you have to fall down a few times before you can climb back up again.
1. Wait what?

Focusing on what she just admitted made me realise I need to rethink our future together. How could I have been so wrong about her? How exactly am I harbouring feelings? I thought we had a thing.

Why do I pine so much on that future image?

Urgh fine, she wants a real friend, I guess I'll just give her that space.

 **What did Nadakhan say again?**

"N-N-Nadakhan, Oh, we weren't supposed to be alone." I jumped out of my skin at his unexpected appearance. The first thing I noticed, other than the fact he had no legs, was his accent.

 _Don't wish, don't wish, don't wish, don't wish._

It was silky smooth in tone. A matured voice with deep resonating notes that made me feel a little bit uneasy at his close proximity.

"You want the girl, I can make this happen!"

"Wait, uh, I thought one of the rules was, we couldn't wish for love." I reasoned with him but he was somehow winning me over.

"True but there are other ways to get what you want but then again, I guess a poor boy from a junkyard wouldn't understand."

 _Don't wish, don't wish, don't wish, don't wish._

"Well I guess one little wish wouldn't hurt, But no one else would find out right? This stays between you and me?"

"Of course, cross my heart."

It spilt from my lips before I even realised what I'd done.

 _ **"Your wish is yours to keep."**_

* * *

A bicycle bell disturbs me from my recent visit from the Djinn that we'd all been warned about. "Oh there you are, I've been looking all over Ninjago for you."

Really just for me?

It was the mailman. I looked at him mildly panicked, aware that my disguise had slipped. It was on the floor, surrounding me.

"Don't worry, I won't report you to the authorities." He paused and reached into his front basket to retrieve the only important looking letter he had.

He was literally just delivering a letter to me in the centre of the city. I mean, who does that? Surely the postman delivers to our address. And how the heck did he know it was me? I'm wearing a partial disguise consisting of an office based police uniform.

Gah, how did Nya get away with it? Unless NNPD is full of effeminate police officers who wear big clunky jewelled bracelets.

Weird!

I'm puzzled as to why he didn't just deliver it to the Bounty.

Oh yeah, I forgot. The Bounty has somehow been impounded and we're kinda on the run from the law and everyone else who wants to make a fast buck. Heh, remind me to stay away from Ronin. He's the biggest turncoat of the lot, would quite happily rescue you if there was something in it for him and he had done, a few times actually.

Kai told me about it. The last time we were in Stixx, Kai had chased our possessed brother onto the unfinished pier and the seaweed we'd all been warned about made its appearance at the worst possible time.

He passed me the letter and I took it. I guess I was still apprehensive. I wasn't entirely sure what Nadakhan had just done.

It happened in the blink of an eye, yet in my mind, it was slow motion.

I looked at the envelope briefly, a fleeting glance and nothing more.

Seriously, I thought this was one of Nadakhan's tricks. It looked formal, typed not handwritten and the envelope was board backed, likely meaning that whatever was enclosed was of some importance. I cautiously and apprehensively slid my finger under the adhesive seal and quickly pulled the letter out.

As soon as I opened the letter, I read it out loud and my stomach lurched. My heart felt like it had been ripped from my chest.

"I'm sorry to inform you but your father has passed. You have inherited his estate and lots of money."

Was this a joke?

Something inside me hurt. I had to get there, I needed to be there to see if this was true or some horrid prank that the Djinn thought was fair game.


	2. Chapter 2

Racing across the city with that on my mind was like an explosion had just occurred inside my soul. I couldn't think straight because all that was on my mind was getting back to the junkyard. Even my summoned dragon groaned in sympathy with me, it was almost as if he could feel my tension. He could, the dragon was part of me. I was heavily chastising myself for my weaknesses. Why did I let love guide me again? Had I not already learnt of this same mistake?

 _"But we're friends, and that's all we'll ever be-."_

* * *

A deep shuddering sigh left my lips, "Why did I wish for anything, I should never have said anything."

"This was all my fault." I wiped the tears from my face.

Chiding myself for my weakness was the only way I could do it. I'd just ruined everything and all because of that stupid reflection in the caves of despair and now who was feeling despair?

Me.

 _"Your father has passed and you have just inherited his estate."_

"No, God no. What the hell have I done?" I wiped the cold breeze soaked tears from my face.

I might have been a man but I still had feelings and being told in no uncertain terms that I've just lost my father was like being hit in the gut with a spiked cudgel.

The city limits were fast approaching. But I pushed on regardless. The team would just have to do this without me and there was no way I'd be making any more wishes at this rate not if that was how Nadakhan worked.

"Wish manipulation eh?"

My lips had pursed, my face was scowling at his unmitigated gall. How low did he have to go to make people wish again?

The Sea of Sand eventually came into view. It was a sight for sore eyes but it would come quickly enough no matter how fast I flew I still couldn't break the light speed barrier. Time seemed to slow down exponentially. The junk yard sign seemed to take an eternity to come into view. I was dreading it

I landed and the first thing I noticed was a flickering of the sign. It was a sure sign. My heart dropped.

This was all my fault, how was Ma going to forgive me, knowing that I had wished to be richer and not having been born in a junk yard.

Knowing that I had just ended Pa's life so prematurely.

What was I thinking?


	3. Chapter 3

_"But we're friends, and that's all we'll ever be-."_

"Friends, is that enough though?"

Jay's dragon faltered briefly, and he knew that the majority of passersby could hear the wailing sounds of it as it passed the city limits. Now heading out toward the desert. He knew he wouldn't be frightening any more citizens with the sounds his conjured creature was making. This large beast was an extension of himself. A literal piece of him, conjured into something that showed his element and his all. And right now, his all was breaking inside.

It was bright blue, uncontrollable and it was all Jay. He was barely controlling it.

He steered the great beast the way he knew how. The journey he'd made numerous times before came to him so naturally. Travelling with the roads underneath to guide him until he came to the starts of the dessert. From there on out it wasn't much farther, a short duration if that.

"But we shouldn't be alone, not with Nadakhan on the loose!"

He shook his head, what was the Djinn going to do if he was flying his dragon? Not like he was expecting Jay to make a wish on the move, surely he wasn't that foolish?

* * *

Jay arrived in record timing, the dragon disappearing, leaving him a small acrobatic aerial jump to perform to save himself from breaking an ankle. Surprisingly, the sand could be quite a hard and unforgiving surface to land on. It was only soft underfoot if you put weight on it, but initially, it was like falling on concrete.

Was it him or did one of the letters to his parents junk yard not seemed to be lit up anymore. His heart sank even further into his stomach.

"Dad?" He ran as fast as he could, straight into the junk yard. wrenching the door open he saw his Ma, Edna.

She was sitting relaxing in their chair, still fully dressed in her coat. She must have been feeling the cold too, but she was happy and yet surprised to see her son. Normally, she'd need to pester and plead for him to visit but this time, he had just shown up. She thought that he was lucky that she was here too.

Even though Edna was of retirement age, she still had a busy social life, held craft classes and kept in contact with the other ladies around town.

Her eyes were searching his. He looked incredibly troubled, slightly out of breath and somewhat struggling to find the words.


End file.
